Before a pilot can land an aircraft, the pilot is required to visually identify certain features of a runway through the cockpit window. Many airports, for example, have an approach runway signature before each runway, such as a series of lights forming a “T” or a cross pattern (e.g., “†”), to assist pilots in locating the runway. When a pilot is landing an aircraft, federal regulations provide that a pilot must be able to identify, visually through the cockpit window, the approach runway signature or another specific feature before the aircraft may descend below a certain altitude relative to the runway.
There are three types of instrument landing systems (ILS) for aiding a pilot in landing an aircraft, the implementation of which may vary depending upon the aircraft and the airport. For example, a Category I (CAT I) ILS, is a precision instrument approach and landing with a decision height not lower than 200 feet. A Category II (CAT II) ILS is a precision instrument approach and landing with a decision height lower than 200 feet (61 m) above a touchdown zone elevation but not lower than 100 feet. In other words, the pilot must make a decision before the aircraft's altitude is within 200 or 100 feet, respectively, of the touchdown zone whether to proceed with the landing. There are also three types of Category III (CAT III) ILS's with varying decision height levels below 100 feet.
The pilot's decision to proceed with or abort the landing in CAT I, CAT II and CAT III landing situations depend upon whether the pilot can identify approach runway signatures, however, cloud cover and weather conditions can make the identification difficult. Operating at night in the various conditions adds another degree of difficulty to identifying approach runway signatures.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a system, method and apparatus for assisting the pilot to quickly locate and identify runway approach signatures in all weather and visibility conditions. Other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.